MOH ADVISES DONORS TO PRIORITISE SAFETY OF FOOD DONATED TO WELFARE HOMES

PUTRAJAYA, June 20 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Health (MOH) takes a serious view of the issue of dumping and the safety status of food donated to welfare homes and tahfiz centres, which can cause incidents of food poisoning to the residents and students of these institutions.

The ministry said it had noted the report about the issue as reported in the local newspapers two days ago.

"The MOH takes the issue raised seriously and requests all parties involved in donating food and the recipients of food contributions to always prioritise food safety to prevent any food poisoning incidents,” it said in a statement today.

The ministry, through the Food Safety and Quality Programme (PKKM), always enhanced controls to prevent food poisoning at every level of the food chain, including developing the Food Bank Safety Guidelines, which outline the measures for preparing safe and quality food for donation purposes.

It said the guidelines help donors and recipients learn about the procedures involved in handling donated food.

"In this matter, food donors must ensure the food is safe for consumption and include details like the date and time the food was prepared and its expiry period. A food safety message must also be included so that the food is consumed within four hours of preparation.

"Donors must ensure recipients get early information regarding the food that is going to be donated and ensure the food is received by recipients and not just left there without any notification,” it said.

Meanwhile, it advised food recipients to record the information about the food they received and ensure the food given to them is in good condition and safe for consumption, besides always making sure to see, smell and taste the food upon receiving it.

The ministry said recipients have the right to reject any food that is stale, not properly packed, has no information and was prepared more than four hours ago.

"Recipients are advised to eat the donated food immediately and avoid storing them beyond the stipulated period,” it said.

On Tuesday (June 18), the local media reported that several welfare centres in the Klang Valley had become dumping grounds for excess food.

The reports quoted Mohd Suhairi Mohd Danan, the manager of Maahad Tahfiz Al-Quran Misbahul Falah in Taman Keramat, Kuala Lumpur as saying that he often faced the issue of receiving almost stale food that was supposedly donated.

The Food Bank Safety Guidelines can be downloaded from the Food Safety and Quality Programme website at hq.moh.gov.my/fsq.

Consumers who have any food safety issues can contact any district health office, the nearest State Health Department or visit the Public Complaints Management System (SISPAA) website as well as the PKKM Facebook page at http://moh.spab.gov.my  or https://www.facebook.com/bkkmhq.

-- BERNAMA